Boulder Climate Activist Dies After Self-Immolation Near Supreme Court

BOULDER, CO — A climate activist and photographer from Boulder died Saturday after setting himself on fire outside the U.S. Supreme Court in an apparent protest of climate change, police said.

Wynn Bruce, 50, self-immolated Friday and was airlifted to a hospital, where he died. Friends of Bruce emphasized Bruce's death was a protest, not a suicide.

"This guy was my friend," Kritee Kanko of the Environmental Defense Fund tweeted Saturday night. "He meditated with our sangha. This act is not suicide. This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to climate crisis. We are piecing together info but he had been planning it for at least one year. #wynnbruce I am so moved."

Bruce said on Facebook he lived in Boulder since 2000 and appeared to belong to a Boulder-based Buddhist group called Shambala. He often shared Buddhist teachings and principles on his personal Facebook page.

"I share a few words from the spiritual tradition that I learned of here - Shambhala.

Now I awaken basic goodness in my heart.

I confidently awaken my innate qualities —

Goodness, wisdom, kindness and strength —

Within the sun of basic goodness.

Society is basically good.

May the basic goodness I discovered today continue to grow and grow. May its brilliant rays shine through my life. May this primordial truth, the inheritance of all humanity, be a brilliant torch to guide all beings. May the warm-heartedness, I have discovered, be a parasol to protect all beings. May the love that I have tasted be shared with the entire world.

May the courageousness of this moment never be forgotten. May there be harmony between biospheric family, friends and nations. May the Earth be healed. May the elements be balanced. May humanity have-peace. May enlightened society manifest on this Earth. May all see the Great Eastern Sun of Shambhala.

In many posts, Bruce, who founded Bright and True Photos in 2008, used his page to shine a light on climate change. In one post, he shared a screenshot of a cartoon that appeared in The New Yorker that said: "I am alive. I am breathing. The air that is unhealthy for sensitive groups anchors me."

In a comment on that post, Bruce wrote, "Clean air matters." In an Oct. 30, 2020 post, he shared a link to an edX page on the science and global impact of climate change. The page features a free, eight-week, self-guided class from climate science expert Michael Mann where participants can learn about basic scientific principles behind climate change and global warming.

"We need to understand the science in order to solve the broader environmental, societal and economic changes that climate change is bringing," a description for the course reads.

In an edited comment under his post, Bruce appears to reference his self-immolation, writing "4-1-14," followed by a fire emoji, followed by "4/22/2022," the date he set himself on fire outside the nation's highest court.

In February, the Supreme Court heard arguments on a case that could restrict — or even eliminate — the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to control pollution.

In January, Bruce also marked the death of 95-year-old Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced tik nyaht hahn), an influential Vietnamese Buddhist monk who was exiled from his country after opposing the Vietnam War in the 1960s and advocated for what he called "engaged Buddhism," where followers apply Buddhist teachings to political and social reforms. In remembering the monk, Bruce shared his photo and wrote, "Thank you for your compassion."

In a June 1965 letter to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thich Nhat Hanh wrote that the self-burnings of Vietnamese Buddhist monks was "difficult for the Western Christian conscience to understand."

"The Press spoke then of suicide, but in the essence, it is not. It is not even a protest. What the monks said in the letters they left before burning themselves aimed only at alarming, at moving the hearts of the oppressors and at calling the attention of the world to the suffering endured then by the Vietnamese. To burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance. There is nothing more painful than burning oneself. To say something while experiencing this kind of pain is to say it with the utmost of courage, frankness, determination and sincerity."

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.